Polly Carl, creative director of ArtsEmerson, has been named Person of the Year by the National Theatre Conference.

Carl won the award for her/his help in getting new plays produced, both at ArtsEmerson and elsewhere and her/his work as director and cofounder of Howlround, the college’s online theater community forum.

Carl said s/he admires shows like Hamilton, a rap musical about Alexander Hamilton, and Fun Home, a musical about a girl’s relationship with her gay father, because they are both stories that haven’t been told before on a Broadway stage. S/he sees them as a “beacon of hope” for future plays.

Overall, Carl sees the award not as a personal triumph, but an award won through a community effort.

“I’ve had a long history in a career working with artists to develop new work for the stage,” Carl said. “I think the award acknowledges the collaboration with those artists over the years that I’ve worked with so I think it does both these things.”

Polly Carl, creative director of ArtsEmerson, uses s/he pronouns.